I Just Got the Virus While Working on This Car and Almost Died

The Art and Science of Repairing a Used Lexus Engine

Things are not made to be reused, and that includes intake manifold gaskets. A kit comes with all the gaskets needed when doing this repair, but it's still a pain in the butt. The engineers who designed these engines clearly didn't think about the hassle that would come with rebuilding them. As a result, we're left with a plethora of hoses to deal with, and the process can be downright frustrating.

One of the most challenging aspects of this repair is dealing with the banjo bolt that holds the fuel line in place. It's small, but it's crucial to get it right. The author recommends putting it on first, followed by the other components. This ensures that everything is properly aligned and secured before moving forward. The author also stresses the importance of starting the engine by hand, rather than cranking it up with a foot pedal. This helps prevent stripping the threads and ensures that everything is secure.

As the repair progresses, it becomes clear that this engine has been neglected. The spark plugs are worn out, and there's evidence of internal damage caused by poor maintenance. The oil hasn't been changed recently, and the car sounds like it's going to fall apart at any moment. Despite its age, the engine still runs smoothly, but it's a ticking time bomb just waiting to unleash its fury on the owner.

The author's top tip for anyone looking to buy a used Lexus is to check the spark plugs. They're a telltale sign of poor maintenance and can indicate that the car has been driven hard. If the spark plugs are clogged with carbon, it's likely that the engine will burn oil, leading to costly repairs down the line. The author recommends buying a used Lexus only if it's being sold dirt cheap, as any indication of recent maintenance or care is a major red flag.

In the end, repairing a used Lexus engine can be a daunting task, but with the right mindset and a healthy dose of skepticism, it's possible to breathe new life into an aging machine. The author's own experience serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of regular maintenance and attention to detail when buying a used car. By taking the time to inspect every component and check for signs of wear, owners can avoid costly repairs down the line and enjoy their vehicle for years to come.

Mass Airflow Sensor: A Critical Component

As the repair comes together, it becomes clear that one of the most critical components is the mass airflow sensor. The author recommends ensuring it's properly secured in its housing before moving forward with the rest of the repair. This may seem like a small detail, but it can make all the difference in the world when it comes to the engine's performance.

The air plenum is another component that requires careful attention. The author notes that it can be a bit tricky to get right, and wiggling the parts too much can lead to a massive vacuum leak. This can cause the engine to suck in dirt and debris, leading to costly repairs down the line. By following the manufacturer's instructions carefully and ensuring everything is properly secured, owners can avoid this common mistake.

Electrical Connectors: A Crucial Part of the Repair

As the repair comes together, it becomes clear that electrical connectors are an essential part of the process. The author recommends snapping them back into place until they click, as this ensures a secure connection and prevents any short circuits. This may seem like a minor detail, but it can make all the difference in terms of the engine's performance.

The final stages of the repair involve bolting everything back together. The throttle assembly requires four big 10mm bolts to hold it in place, and the author notes that these should be tightened carefully to avoid stripping them. By following this process carefully, owners can ensure a smooth-running engine that will last for years to come.

The Importance of Maintenance

In the end, the repair of a used Lexus engine is a testament to the importance of regular maintenance. The author's own experience serves as a warning to potential buyers: neglecting your car's maintenance can lead to costly repairs and a shortened lifespan. By paying attention to every detail and ensuring everything is properly secured, owners can breathe new life into an aging machine.

As for the author, he learned a valuable lesson from this repair. He notes that buying a used Lexus at a Toyota dealership can be a recipe for disaster, as they often don't provide any warranty or guarantees. By being more cautious and doing his research, he was able to avoid costly repairs down the line. The moral of the story is clear: if you're looking to buy a used car, always check the spark plugs and do your due diligence before making a purchase.

Conclusion

The repair of a used Lexus engine is a complex process that requires patience, attention to detail, and a healthy dose of skepticism. By following the manufacturer's instructions carefully and ensuring every component is properly secured, owners can breathe new life into an aging machine. The author's own experience serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of regular maintenance and attention to detail when buying a used car.

By taking the time to inspect every component and check for signs of wear, owners can avoid costly repairs down the line and enjoy their vehicle for years to come. Whether you're a seasoned mechanic or a DIY novice, this repair is a valuable lesson in the importance of attention to detail and regular maintenance.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines all right today i got a sick lexus is250 customer body juice he was real happy but then the check engine light came out well you get a scan tool of course turn the key on so the idiot lights are on it says po303 misfire stored for a little more info we'll go to the freeze frame dad at 75 load so it had a reasonable amount of load on it it was just taken off it was going three kilometers an hour and as you can see from this data it was accelerating fast because the mass airflow sensor was 19.59 grams per second at idle it's like 3.5 so it was accelerating hard when it misfired like i bought at you so there's nothing in the history of the vehicle so let's start with a simple thing we'll go to the number three coil and check the coil in the spark plug now we go under the hood there's the engine but which one is cylinder number three and there we go number three is that side and once you know there's a bunch of crap in the way so let's start taking the crap off so here comes the wagon full of tools we'll put on the gloves and get cracking first we gotta take the intake off here the air intake hose is in the way loose of that clamp there's always other stuff stuck on it of course there we go it's out of the way good enough so we can access it now this is number three so we'll unplug the number three coil pack this is in the way two so we're gonna have to unplug the other one to get to the boat you gotta squeeze with all your might in that case it didn't work so get some pliers we can squeeze better with pliers there then it came off we got a ratchet of the ten millimeter socket we gotta take this thing out of the way cause that bolt's on us too they don't give you much working space here moving out of the way now we can get to the bolt that holds the coil in and out it comes maybe these coils have been in here a while they often stick so you got to wiggle them back and forth and pull up out it comes and since we know nothing of the history of the car we'll get a spark plug socket examine a spark plug we have no idea how old it is it might be the original ones with 100 something thousand miles on them and they're kind of taut usually they're not on this tight keep twirling until it comes off there we go and as we can see it's in rough shape look at all the carbon the electrodes are worn out and they're covered with carbon burnt oil all i gotta say is the previous owner of this lexus did not change the oil correctly these are not really oil burning engines but any engine will burn oil if you don't keep it clean and just keep driving and driving and driving i had a customer once was when he drove 80 000 miles to change the oil once ruined the engine over time at 102 000 engine just let loose wasn't the car's fault they didn't take care of it so basically we're gonna have to start from the beginning we're really gonna have to start by replacing all the spark plugs and that stinks on this engine because if you thought that was a pain you got to take the intake manifold off to get to the other three spark plugs a really stupid design i realized one thing these cars aren't cheap to repair six of these spark plugs their unique style was over 100 bucks with tax they're expensive and that's why even though this thing has well over 140 000 miles on it the plugs have never been changed not only cost a lot of money but it takes all day to do it too so if you're really thinking about buying one of these used take one of the easy spark plugs out see if it's all worn out like that i would ask to knock a ton off and truthfully if it was like the one that came out of this i'll cover the carving i wouldn't buy the car i'd say you didn't change it all the engines ruined now this can still run fine but it's always going to burn oil now these three plugs are easy so we'll do them first you can see these are already coated you don't put anything on them you put them in dry on a cold engine because you don't want to strip anything just twist them until they're snug go until they're snug with a ratchet let's check out the front one see what it looks like it's actually a lot easier than the other one here we go it's worn out too now it's not caked but it's quite as much carbon it still shows the engines burn a little bit of oil but the number three cylinder is worse than this that's why the number three one was misfiring with the code so far eventually they all would they all need replacement then we'll pull the last of the three out and yet again you can see it's got a reasonable amount of carbon on it the engine burns a little other person did not change the oil enough the previous owner you gotta snap the connector back on nice and tight don't forget the stupid bolt down here that's half the spark plugs but it ain't half the job now we gotta take the intake manifold off what a stupid design idiots designed these cars today so now comes the insane job taking all the bolts off taking off the throttle to get to the spark plugs because of moronic engineers it's a shame they build them this way but that's what they're doing they don't give one crap about fixing them and there's a whole bunch more plus it's all plastic crap be careful it can easily break then you gotta get all this anti-polish equipment out of the way so you can get this off now we gotta take the throttle off because it's bolted to the manifold four bolts on here one two three and four and we gotta take them all off and so you don't lose them every magnetic pickup stick ready if they fall so you can pick them up it says the last one's in the back put it over it so it doesn't fall then as you unscrew it the magnet will hold it in place see it didn't drop anywhere then and remember they hide these bolts everywhere there's another one hiding in the top here now it's definitely not going to come out without the mag and then showing that the japanese have a perverse sense of humor there's a bolt back there that you can't even see it's 12 millimeter you got to get it blind have a wiggling socket and then take it off now the stupid thing is man they're evil but no there's still more this hose here is in the way squeeze it take the clamp off be careful not to break the plastic these manifolds cost a fortune even though they're made out of cheap plastic that's out of the way let's see if we got enough clearance yet well there's other stuff we got to take off another hose off let's see if we can get enough room we can close this now this is in the way so we got to disconnect this we're almost there but there's this stupid fuel line i didn't want to take it off because i don't like taking fuel lines off they might leak when you put them back on but these butt heads have given me no choice i got to take it off to get to the spark plug no we got to take this off i don't like messing with plastic stuff and fuel lines but you have to it's the way the idiots designed it comes the stupid banjo balls we'll put it over here so we don't lose it now let's see if we can get it off now we unplugged last thing now we can actually get it out of the way and there's the 3 8 stinking spark plugs what a job what a bad design and now we can change these three stupid spark plugs they've never been touched since the engine was built and as you can see yet again they're worn and they're covered with carbon gotta do all three on this side it too has built up crud got quite a bit of white on here it's actually fuel whoever was driving this also used really cheap fuel can't blame that i'm not changing the oil it's just fuel impurity they surely didn't change the oil enough but that's impure fuel and here comes the last one it too as you can see splattered with bad fuel white stuff there still got carbon but these bad fuel and they didn't change the oil enough so we'll put the last denso plug use the original ones they're the only ones that are designed for it there are cheaper ones they don't work as well yeah last one now as you can tell this is a long job i had to take a break overnight i was i had that omicron i'm almost done with it it's been on for five days now i'm relatively healthy again and you see i got my jacket on again because it's early in the morning so i'm starting early to get this thing done because there's a cold front coming in soon and it's going to be like 15 degrees and it's a balmy 59 now so now i'm going to put the intake plenum back on i put new gaskets in you got to use new gaskets these things are not made to be reused you get an intake manifold gasket kit comes with all the gaskets that you're going to need when you do this yeah pain in the butt but that's how the stupid engineers made it so now we got to put this back together now you line it up with these studs and slip it on and make sure that none of these hoses are pinching and causing an air leak there's all kinds of hoses in the way now before i forget this is the banjo bolt that holds the fuel line on we're going to put that on first because i want fuel leaking put it through the banjo bolt then once you get it started you want to start it by hand so you don't strip it and do pay careful attention to that when you start it if it's leaking you gotta make sure it's not leaking it's fuel it's dangerous i don't know why these idiots built it this way we got to take the fuel line apart to change the spark plugs and to top it all off it's on a piece of plastic that could easily crack if you don't do it right then of course you got to get all the little bolts them in all the holes first just make them finger tight but nothing goes on cock-eye and remember they're all over the place get a strong flashlight now realize that's plastic it'll crack if you get it too tight with plastic you got to use them in this case it's about 22 foot pounds so you set it at 22 then you can tighten them right you don't want to crack them but you don't want them loose either then you turn it until it clicks you heard the click that means it's at the right torque once it clicks it's done and of course don't forget the little hold down bolts that are on the side and the back you got to put all that crap back on too then snap all the electrical connectors back on until they click and of course remember to bolt the throttle back on throttle assembly's got four big old 10 millimeter bolts holding on two on the top and two on the bottom and then of course you got to put the air plenum back on guys fun wiggling these things and i think i'll start it this way start it down here don't wiggle the top on yeah that works better then once we got it on we can tighten it up don't forget to put all the pieces back massive vacuum leak if you didn't put that on and a screwdriver you want to make sure there's no air leaks got to get it nice and tight you don't want it sucking air and of course the mass airflow sensor make sure it's in there nice and tight and do the other end now you notice i'm not putting all the plastic crap on because who knows we got to start it and see what happens and if you notice all the clips that held them in they were missing anybody was not even they don't serve any purpose if you don't like a little rattling either throw them all away or buy all the little clips and put it in he doesn't care he's just going to leave it the way that it is but don't put it all back together to find out you forgot to put something back on so start it first and voila now it's running but you can hear it clattering has been damaged by bad maintenance when spark plugs are this worn that shows you the engine has internal damage the oil is not changed enough definitely damaged it's way too noisy for a lexus engine it doesn't run that bad but the engine is damaged so learn one big lesson from this you're going to buy one of these things just pull out one of the spark plugs not the ones where you got to take the intake manifold but one on the easy side if it's all crowded up like that the car wasn't maintained lexus makes excellent cars but you gotta change the oil you don't change the oil right you end up ruining a perfectly good engine because of not changing the oil because you bought it at a toyota dealer and they gave him that big as is no warranty piece of paper and it was a few months ago and as you can see it runs okay it's going to burn oil as time goes on you can see it idles perfectly smoothly but the thing is it burns oil that follows up the spark plugs you see what a job it is to change the spark plugs a gigantic insane expensive job so if you're ever gonna buy one of these used check those plugs they're clogged up with carbon and worn don't buy the car unless you're getting it dirt cheap i need this to say he didn't get a dirt cheap because he bought it at a toyota dealer so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell you\n"